


Negative Reactions (Sequel to Proven Useful)

by RKG



Category: Tangled (2010)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 09:56:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13455816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RKG/pseuds/RKG
Summary: An old friend of Cas's shows up for the Challenge of the Brave... but is he just a friend?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't resist the urge to write more fluff about these two. ^_^

Long letters and secret meetings under the stars, it was the stuff dreams were made of.

Cas was still getting back into the swing of things at the palace, and Varian's Dad had decided to plant an entirely new crop... of _everything_ , so he was kept mostly away in the daytime. It was just as well, because the fact that they weren't seen together kept the other ladies from gossiping. She hated gossip.

That night, Varian looked a lot tireder than usual.

"My Dad made me hand-weed the entire field." he moaned. "I swear, since he's been back he's been working me harder than Cinderella before the ball."

"Dad doesn't want me to do anything." Cas shrugged. "He's afraid I'll get hurt. I mean, I get it, but geeze!"

"Lucky." Varian snorted. "You have one fire with the automatic weed-puller and he demands you do everything by hand!"

"There was a fire?"

"Just a small one! I didn't have enough oil for the gears.." he grumbled.

"Do you ever think about going back to your old place?"

"I would, but..." he sighed "Merowech torched it. His final revenge."

"Oh... Varian, I'm so sorry!"

"I am too, I really liked that place. The townspeople were sorry to see me go too."

She had hoped that they could go back one day, just the two of them... but no, now that was never to be.

"Oh well... truth be told its kind of good to be home again." he shrugged. "There were a few people who'd thought I'd died."

"Oh not that again." groaned Cas. "You don't need the Holy Light of Corona, do you? Cuz I can give it back."

He laughed. "No, Cassie, thankfully they didn't go that far. A few old ladies were just glad I was alive. Besides.. I'd like for you to keep it. I like to think Mom would've liked you."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Read any good books?"

"No, but I got a letter today."

"From who?"

"Sir Joseph of Westerland!" she said excitedly. "He's coming in to participate in the Challenge of the Brave!"

Sir Joseph of Westerland was legendary. He had battled several dragons and survived the siren's songs at sea, rumor had it he had even adapted one of their tunes into a love song, but whomever heard it would always fall in love with him, so he kept it to himself.

"How do you know Sir Joseph of Westerland?"

"We were allies during the war." said Cassandra. 

Well that made sense.

"So when is Challenge of the Brave anyway?" he asked.

"Ummm... I think it falls a couple days before the Day of Hearts this year." she replied.

"Speaking of..." he grinned at her. "What are you doing for the Day of Hearts this year?"

"Oh no," she put her hand up. "No, kid, I'm not getting roped into that this year. Nope. Last time I did that it ended badly."

"But... this year's different." he pointed out.

"Yeah, but... still. Bad memories." She noted his disappointed expression. "We could always do something, I suppose."

"No, it's okay, Cassandra. If it has bad memories for you, we don't have to." he said quietly.

"Thank you." she smiled softly, kissing his cheek.

~*~*~*~

The next day, Cas and Rapunzel were sitting out on the palace grounds, talking.

"I'm so looking forward to the Day of Hearts." sighed Rapunzel. "It's our first year as a married couple. We have a whole day planned together!"

Cas smiled. "Sounds nice."

"So what about you and Varian?"

Cassandra snorted. "Yeah, nope. I already told him I wasn't going in for that."

"Why?" asked Rapunzel. "I thought you two were--"

"Oh, we are."

"Then why no day of hearts?"

"Because it's stupid?"

"I thought since you two had gone through so much together, you'd think differently." said Rapunzel, a little sadly.

"Oh, it's nothing against _that_." Cas explained. "I just... think it's stupid to go out of your way on one day a year." she shrugged. "That, and the last time I participated in the Day of Hearts, the guy tried to kill me."

"Oh, Cassandra..." frowned Rapunzel. "I don't think you have to worry about that out of Varian... I mean, he already tried once and it didn't work."

Cassandra laughed. "Yes, but never on the Day of Hearts."

"Point taken. Was he disappointed?"

Cassandra shrugged. "A little, I guess? He said we didn't have to, so I'm not gonna worry about it."

But Rapunzel couldn't help but feel her friend was missing something.

"Besides, I'm not worried about that, Sir Joseph is participating in Challenge of the Brave this year!"

"Oh cool!"

Rapunzel had no idea who Sir Joseph was, but she was more than content to let her friend prattle on about him.

~*~*~*~

Varian sat in the garden, pulling weeds.

"Varian, you're making the cabbage wilt, what's wrong with you?" asked Quirin.

"Nothing, Dad..." he answered glumly. 

"Matters of the heart?"

"Something like that." he admitted, crushing a dandelion between his fingers. "Cassandra said Sir Joseph of Westerland was coming in for the Challenge of the Brave."

He didn't have to say anything, the look on his face said it all.

"Varian," began his Father. "I never got to have this talk with you when you were younger."

"Dad, I already know where babies come from." 

Quirin laughed. "Not _that_ talk."

"What, then?"

"Cassandra is a woman of the world, she's lived through many battles and in my experience, a woman like that isn't all that impressed with us thinking men. At least not in the long run."

"Y-You think....?" 

It broke Quirin's heart to see the expression on his son's face.

"Now, I don't know for sure, maybe Cassandra is different. After all, she did help save your life and she's been as good as gold so far. I'm just saying, don't be surprised if things run their course sooner than you would like."

"Oh..." said Varian disappointedly.


	2. Let's not put a label on it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas loves being secretive, and Varian finds out something about her that he didn't know before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay maybe not so much fluff as epic heartbreak lol. BTW Osculum is the latin word for kiss lol.

Cas was gathering her laundry when she heard a noise on her balcony, she went outside only to find nothing there.

"That's funny..."

Suddenly a strong pair of hands grabbed her around the waist, out of instinct she sharply elbowed her would-be assailant in the ribs.

"AUGH!"

"Varian?!" she cried.

"Ow..." he whimpered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you!"

"That... that was a bad idea."

"You gotta give me warning next time!" she apologized. "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay I didn't need that particular vital organ anyway." he grunted, trying to maintain a good sense of humor. After all, he should've known better than to try and sneak up on the Lord Commandress of Corona.

"Gotta say, I didn't hear you come in. Points for stealth there." she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Want me to make it better?"

He really couldn't be mad at her when when she looked at him like that. He smiled before leaning in and kissing her.

After a moment, Cassandra couldn't help but notice that this was... rather public. She pulled away. "Um, l-let's go behind the curtains." she blushed.

"As you wish, milady." he chuckled.

She was about to lead him inside, when the royal fanfare started up.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"He's not supposed to be here until tomorrow!" she cried, racing to the edge of her balcony. 

Varian noticed that the Knight in question had was riding a gigantic grey horse that was a lot bigger than Maximus and had hairy feet, but the horse itself had to be huge to hold someone that tall. He wore the dark colored armor of the Westerlands and carried their blue and gold flag proudly. 

"Hey Joey!" she called, waving her hankerchief at him.

" _Joey_?" asked Varian.

"Yeah," she scoffed. "I'm not gonna call him Sir Joseph all the time." quickly, she picked up her skirts and ran down to meet her old friend.

"Wow, _osculum interruptus_." muttered Varian, making his way after her. He got there just in time to watch the Knight pick up Cassandra, _his_ Cassandra, and spin her around.

His fists clenched at his sides, just who did this guy think he was?

"Good to see you again, Joe!" said Cassandra good-naturedly.

"You too, Cassandra." said Joseph, taking her hand and kissing it formally.

Varian felt slighted. Cas was letting this guy kiss her hand in public, but thought her own balcony was too open for the two of them? Varian had never really been that much of a physical fighter, but he was tempted to go over and sock this guy in the jaw. The only reason he thought twice was the fact that he was wearing armor and he was pretty sure he'd break his wrist that way.

Cas suddenly seemed to notice him and motioned for him to come over. 

" _Now you notice me_." thought Varian as he reluctantly made his way over.

"Joseph, this is Varian, my uh... special friend."

"Greetings!" said Joseph cheerfully, extending a hand.

"Hi." said Varian frostily, returning the gesture. 

"Thanks to Varian here, I survived a flaming arrow." she slapped him on the back as one would a battle comrade, causing him to cough. 

"That takes some talent, thanks little guy! I'm sure Corona's very grateful to have its Lord Commandress in-tact." said Joseph proudly.

"They were, eventually." laughed Cas. "Come on, they're serving muffins in the banquet hall, you know, the kind that won't double as cannon balls?"

"Oh, my kingdom for a MUFFIN!" cried Joseph. Varian watched as they linked arms and strolled off toward the banquet hall together.

"I don't like that one." said a voice behind Varian, it was the Guard Captain.

"You either?" asked Varian.

"Nope. Had to chase him around with a broadsword once." 

" _So that's him_." thought Varian miserably, remembering the tale Cas had told him about her first kiss. A part of him knew that he shouldn't have anything to worry about, but his Dad's words came back to haunt him.

" _A woman like that isn't all that impressed with us thinking men. At least not in the long run._ "

He was about to walk away when the Captain caught his ear. "Help me keep an eye on him. He can be trouble."

"Yes sir." agreed Varian. " _And if I have to take this guy apart screw by screw, then so be it_." he thought diabolically.

~*~*~*~

"So, tell us about your new boyfriend, Cas." said Jane.

"There's... not that much to tell." hedged Cas. How had they found out? Did they see them on the balcony? Oh no...

"How did you get together?" pried Jane. "Was it really romantic?"

"Um..." Cas didn't know quite what to say, their questions were coming all out of left field. "If you want to call it that, I mean, it was when I was injured--"

"Oh, did he save you?" swooned Debra.

"Yeah... yeah he did." admitted Cassandra, brushing her hair behind her ear. "He was really sweet to me."

"That big lug? You wouldn't think he had it in him." said Ethel.

"Who?" asked Cassandra.

"Sir Joseph, of course!" giggled Jane and Debra simultaneously.

"OH! No, girls, it's not... it's not Sir Joseph."

"Awww!!!" a disappointed whine went up among the rest of the ladies in waiting. "Well, then, who is it then?"

She wasn't sure why she wasn't ready to talk about Varian yet, she just wasn't. She didn't mind Rapunzel knowing, or even their close friends, but the other ladies just seemed so gossipy. Also, she had never actually been that close with them. She had been closer with the guards than she had them. But even so, the guards never asked so many personal questions. 

"I heard he was younger." said Ethel. "Atta girl, get a young buck. They don't disappoint." she winked.

Cas felt her cheeks flush hot. She didn't want to know how Ethel knew that.

"Look, where are you girls getting your information?" asked Cassandra uncomfortably.

"Friedborg!" they all cried in unison. "She overheard you talking with the Princess."

" _It would figure_." thought Cas darkly. "Look, guys, when I'm ready, I'll talk about it. Until then, case closed."

"AWWW!" another disappointed whine went up among the ladies. "So, what about Sir Joseph, what's he like?"

"Joe's really great. He helped out a lot during the war." said Cassandra.

"No, I mean what's he LIKE? Does he like moonlit strolls or what?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I don't know, I was too busy winning a war and forgot to ask. Go ask him yourself!"

"It's rude not to introduce your friends, Cas." commented Debra.

"Okay, fine, girls, when he gets back from his meeting with the King, I'll introduce you. How's that?"

Jane squealed. "Thank you!!!"

"Now if you'll excuse me. I have laundry to gather."

On the way out of the castle, she met Friedborg.

"YOU need to keep your mouth shut!" she demanded, storming away.

Friedborg only stared after.

~*~*~*~

Varian stormed through Corona, kicking the cobblestones as he went. He hadn't gotten a moment alone with Cassandra, Sir Joseph had monopolized all of her time and Cassandra had _let_ him, and practically hung onto his every word while doing it. Of course his tales of battle would be more interesting than life on the farm. And Cassandra... while she was intelligent, she didn't exactly _get_ the principles of Alchemy, she just liked the end results. Which was fine.

But what could he possibly do to get her attention again, now that Sir Joseph was here?

Suddenly, he saw a signup sheet for the Challenge of the Brave.

"Say, anybody can participate in Challenge of the Brave, right?" he asked no one in particular.

"Anyone can, but not everyone _should_." pointed out Attilla, causing Varian to scowl. "But I hear if you die, you win by default."

Varian thought for a moment before signing his name to the bottom of the sheet.


	3. A most precious gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sir Joseph has something up his sleeve.

"King Frederic, I brought back something from my travels for you." 

The Knight presented a small chest lined with purple velvet, inside were some black stones with fire colored veining.

"Are those fire opals?" asked Eugene, peering into the box.

"They are." grinned Sir Joseph. 

"Wow, never seen any up close." Eugene attempted to pick one up, but felt small electrical shock. "OW!"

"Yeah, I don't know why they do that." commented Joseph. "You have to handle them with gloves."

"Thank you, Sir Joseph." said Frederic, taking the chest. 

Eugene left them to talk politics while he observed the fire opals in the chest. Indeed, he had never seen any up close, they were quite different than what he had heard described. He had always heard fire opals were pure orange, but these were black with orange veins. The funny thing about the veins is that they seemed to fluctuate, and glow, but he guessed that's what made them so valuable.

"Huh."

~*~*~*~

Varian had checked out "The Fine Art of Dueling" from the library, unfortunately, most of the activities required a partner and the only partner he knew that was proficient in all these activities was Cassandra, and he wasn't about to ask her. So he had fashioned a coat-rack into a fencing partner. He was doing pretty well until his Father walked in on him.

"What are you doing?" asked Quirin.

"Practicing." said Varian.

"For what, when the furniture takes over?"

"I'm fencing!"

"Why?"

"I signed up for Challenge of the Brave."

Quirin paled. "Varian, no."

"Oh come on, how hard can it be?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at his Father.

"LOOK OUT!" cried Quirin, pulling his son out of the way before the coatrack drove a sword right through him. Varian swallowed hard.

"Varian, I know you're an adult now, but this sort of thing is dangerous! People have DIED in Challenge of the Brave!"

"As long as I'm careful, it's not _that_ dangerous >." reasoned Varian. "Besides, I wasn't too sure on doing fencing anyway. I could always--"

"You ARE NOT participating! Do you hear me?!"

"Yes. I am." countered Varian, eyes narrowed.

"Is this about Cassandra?"

"Y--NO!" Varian cried. "No, it's just something I wanted to do!" 

Quirin shook his head. "Varian, if you die, what does that accomplish?"

"I'm not dying!" he assured. "Trust me, Dad, I'm careful!"

"Varian..." warned his father.

"Wouldn't you have done the same for Mom?!" he cried, finally cracking.

Quirin shook his head. "Your Mother never demanded such feats out of me--"

"No, because you were already good at everything! You were one of the King's bravest Knights, you fought by his side and no one ever doubted you! There was a reason Mom was impressed! Give me the chance to at least TRY to do the same, Dad!"

Quirin sighed.

"Alright, Varian. But sometimes you have to put your trust in the other person."

"It's not her I don't trust." muttered Varian.

~*~*~*~

The weather had suddenly changed from fairly temperate to unbearably hot, the kind of weather you expect right before a thunderstorm. 

Rapunzel fanned herself. "Is it just me or did it get way too hot all of a sudden?"

Cassandra took off her headdress and shook her short hair free. "Ugh, yes, my hair is going to frizz out completely now."

Suddenly there was thunder in the distance.

"Maybe it'll cool down after it rains." offered Rapunzel. 

"Yeah maybe."

It thundered again, but this time the ground shook with it.

"That was a big rumble." laughed Rapunzel nervously.

Suddenly lightning streaked across the sky. 

"Yeah, a little too big." observed Cassandra. "Let's go inside."

It was a good thing they made it in when they did, because it suddenly started to hail. 

"OW! OW! OW! Let me get inside! Quick!" Eugene came screeching past them on Maximus, who shook furiously. "I am not playing a polo match in THAT!" he cried.

"Eugene, did you lock Dad and Sir Joseph out?"

"No, they want to finish their match--"

"In a storm?!" she cried.

"Hey, I didn't tell them to!"

"LET US IN!!!" cried Sir Joseph as he and the King clattered across the drawbridge. Rapunzel threw open the door as they blew past her.

"What's going on?" asked Cassandra.

"There's a dragon in the hills!" cried Sir Joseph, "I'll need every good soldier you have!"

"I'll go with you!" said Cassandra.

"Cassandra," her Dad stepped forward. "Your arm isn't healed yet."

"It's healed enough--"

"Not for dragon fighting. I'll take over this time."

"Dad, I'm the Lord Commandress, they're going to expect me!"

"No they're not, you're still injured--"

"Not injured enough! I'm going!" insisted Cassandra, rushing off to change. Of course there wasn't anything he could do to dissuade her.

"Captain, I need you to go warn the townspeople to stay inside."

"As you wish, your Majesty." said the Captain, praying that his little girl would be safe.

~*~*~*~

Varian had been sent into town for supplies that his Father needed. He noticed the strange weather, and quickly ducked under the awning of Xavier's shop to escape the sudden hail. 

"That escalated quickly." he pondered. 

Suddenly the Captain came riding up on Maximus. 

"Attention, everyone!" he called out. "There's a dragon in the hills! I repeat, there's a dragon in the hills! There is no cause for alarm now, Sir Joseph and our Lord Commandress have been dispatched to the area. Please stay inside until further notice! I repeat, please stay inside until further notice."

"Cassandra!" he whispered. 

Varian pushed his way through the bustling crowd and over to the Captain.

"Cassandra's out in this?!"

The Captain hung his head. "I couldn't stop her. She's Lord Commandress now."

Varian didn't know whether he wanted to faint or throw up. He knew any other time, Cassandra could handle herself, but right now she was wounded.

" _Why couldn't that useless oaf go by himself_?!" thought Varian furiously of Sir Joseph. He wanted to go track them down himself, but there was no way he could fight a dragon. 

"Cap..." he began. "Can I go back to the Castle and wait with you?"

The Captain glanced at him. 

"In case Cassandra needs help with her arm after she gets back." he offered. "That's all."

"Alright, come on then."

Varian walked beside the Captain in silence, he hadn't felt this hopeless since he was being led to the gallows. Dragons were attracted to blood, if the dragon smelled Cassandra's wound then there was a chance she wouldn't come home at all.

Suddenly a flyer caught the Captain's attention, he glanced at it.

"You participating in Challenge of the Brave, kid?"

"I-I want to." said Varian half-heartedly.

"Good." said the Captain. "I'll help."

"R-Really? Why? Uh--I mean, thank you."

"Because," snorted the Captain. "You kept her alive. This guy keeps getting her into trouble."


	4. Sir Joseph the Bumbling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep trying to write fluff but plot keeps getting in the way. Excuse me. XD

"Are you sure it was even here?" asked Cassandra, it was raining, hailing even, her arm hurt, and she was tired. She wanted to go home.

"I saw it with my own eyes, it was right up on this ridge!" said Sir Joseph, pointing out a big rock.

"What did it look like?"

"Sort of a blueish gray color with yellow eyes."

That sounded like a dragon alright.

"King Fredric saw it too!" he assured.

"Well, it's gone now." said Cassandra. "I mean, these things breathe fire, I can't imagine it'd like being out in all this rain.

"No, I suppose you're right..." admitted Joseph. "Although, this one seems pretty determined." 

"What do you mean?"

Sir Joseph looked sheepish. "You know after I left the battle?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I traveled the spice road for a bit and found those fire opals. One morning after I found them I was by myself, singing the siren song, and I guess the Dragon must have overheard me because it became besotted with me. It's followed me everywhere since!"

Cassandra blinked in bewilderment before bursting into laughter.

"Cassandra, it's true!"

"It's a DRAGON!" 

"I know! But the siren song is powerful!"

Cassandra wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh... Joey, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. Come on now..."

"I'm not kidding, Cassandra."

He really wasn't.

"What am I supposed to do with that?" she asked.

"Well, we could always pretend to be together to throw the dragon off." suggested Joseph.

"Uhh, no we couldn't." said Cassandra. 

"Why not?"

"Heartbroken dragon? Do we really want the kingdom razed?" It surprised her how easy it was not to admit to being with Varian. Then again, it really wasn't any of Joseph's business who she was with.

"Point." said Sir Joseph. "But I don't know how to get rid of it."

"We'll... figure out a way. How about we go back to the castle?" she suggested. "I mean, it's not here and we can actually look up ways to defeat it."

"Good idea." sighed Sir Joseph as they turned around and headed back to the castle. 

Cassandra wasn't admitting it to him, but her arm hurt terribly and the hail on her armor wasn't making it any easier.

"C'mon." she grimaced a bit, "Let's go back."

~*~*~*~

As the rain poured down, Varian watched the Captain pace back and forth.

"They should've been back by now."

"You don't think they actually ran into the dragon, do you?"

"No, we could smell the brimstone from here if they had."

Varian gulped. "Th-That's a good thing, I-I suppose." 

"I don't trust that fella." said the Captain. "He's good in battle, but completely reckless."

"What do you mean?"

"If it hadn't been for Cassandra, him and half his forces would've died on the battlefield back in the war." snorted the Captain. "As long as he has strict orders he's okay, but left on his own?" he shook his head.

"I see." said Varian, worry taking him over once more. "I-If they don't return, I'll go looking--"

Suddenly, a pair of horses came clattering across the drawbridge, Varian held his breath. 

"You had me worried half to death!" called the Captain, rushing over to her to help her down off the horse. 

"I'm alright, we didn't find the Dragon."

The Captain glared at Sir Joseph. "Oh really?"

"We looked everywhere, honest!"

Varian bit back a smirk as the Captain began to interrogate Sir Joseph. He rushed over to Cassandra, embracing her.

"Kid--ow."

"Oh, Cassandra, you're hurt!"

"Not hurt." she assured him. "Just... ow."

"Come on, let me see about your arm."

"Alright." she winced. "I'll be back, Dad." she waved with her good hand as they found a more private room. She began to remove her armor but stopped when a lightning pain ripped through her arm.

"Uh, could you help me?"

"Sure."

He helped her lift off the heavy armor and set it down, she shivered a bit, the rain had soaked the back of her neck, making her cold. She slid her arm out of her shirt so that Varian could work on it. He began by gently drying the back of her neck.

"I was worried about you, Cassandra."

"I was in good hands." she assured him. 

The praise of Sir Joseph stung him. As he unwrapped the bandage he noticed that the wound was bleeding a bit.

"Cassandra, dragons are attracted to blood, you know that, right?"

"Yea--oh." she had completely forgotten that her arm could start bleeding. "I... forgot."

"Cas, please stay away from the dragon." he pleaded with her from the chair in front of her.

"I'm the Lord Commandress, they're going to expect me to do _something_."

"They're not going to expect you to die." the urgency in his voice softened her.

"Varian..." she dropped onto his knee so they could be closer.

He pressed his forehead to hers. "I forbid you to die."

She laughed. "I don't know who you'd take up that argument with, kid."

"I'd find a way." he vowed, kissing her. 

" _Now I know how a knight feels when they go off to war_." she thought, as they melted into each other, his arm encircling her waist. Finally, a moment that was truly their own, a moment where they could belong to only each other again.

Varian's grip on her tightened, in this moment, she was his and no one else's, he dared anyone to try and come between them.

Suddenly she shivered.

"What is it, Cassie?" he asked, brushing her hair back from her face.

"M-My arm. Kind of exposed here."

He kissed her forheaed. "Thanks for reminding me, milady."

"How does it look?"

"It's still healing, but it looks a lot better." he assured her as he re-bandaged her arm. "It shouldn't be too much longer."

"Good." She really couldn't wait to get back to full guard duty. 

"Promise me you'll be careful."

"Don't worry about me." she grinned.

"Please, Cassandra."

he begged. He looked so worried.

"I'll be careful, okay?"

"Good. Because if I have to walk into the Holy Light of Corona itself and demand you back, you know I will."

Cassandra's heart skipped a beat, she felt thoroughly safe in the knowledge that he actually _would_.

~*~*~*~

The next day, Eugene and Lance were out showing Sir Joseph around Corona.

"This is possibly the best candy I've ever tasted." said Sir Joseph, while stuffing his face full of Uncle Monty's taffy.

Lance agreed. "And I've tasted a lot of candy in my lifetime, but this is by far the best!"

Eugene grinned. "I don't know how he gets the peppermint in the chocolate, but you don't need to know how magic is done to enjoy it!"

Suddenly a challenge of the brave flyer floated past them. Sir Joseph grabbed it before it was carried off by the wind.

"Let's what the competition has to offer." said Sir Joseph. "Let's see, there's me. There's someone called Attilla.. do you guys know him?"

Both Eugene and Lance nodded.

"Then there's Harvey of... I can't read that." The ink was smudged, none of them could read it.

"There's... does that say Skullrazer?"

Eugene nodded.

"Skullrazer's gonna be here? Oooh, you got your work cut out for you!" said Lance excitdly.

Sir Joseph puffed his chest out proudly. "We'll see about that." he continued reading.

"Sir Randall of the Highlands. I've heard of him."

Suddenly the pair of former thieves saw a name that made their blood run cold, but for completely different reasons than the other competitors.

"Varian...?" Sir Joseph tilted his head like a confused puppy. "Is that that little guy?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure that's a different Varian." said Lance reassuringly, before exchanging worried glances with Eugene.


	5. Halp!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian and his Dad have a disagreement--finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I MADE YOU GUYS WAIT LIKE THIS OMG. I've been doing a lot of original works and I kinda didn't have anywhere to go on this story for awhile but a few of my dear readers gave me some directions to go in so thanks guys, I appreciate it. :D

Eugene had managed to track Varian down, he had wanted to come alone so that the younger boy wouldn't feel like they were ganging up on him.

He found him weeding carrots in his Dad's field.

"Hi, Fly--er--Eugene!"

Of course, Varian knew his real name but even though it'd been years he still sometimes slipped up and called him Flynn. Eugene had learned not to mind.

"Hi, Varian." he waved and hoisted himself over the fence, walking over to him. "Your old man still working you hard?"

Varian sighed. "Yeah... he won't let me use my automatic weed puller after it pulled up a nest of gophers."

"Well, at least the gophers are gone." said Eugene positively.

"More or less." shrugged Varian. "Still working on a solution to that."

"Kid, I noticed something."

"Yeah?"

"You... signed up for challenge of the brave?"

Varian nodded.

"What were you planning on doing?"

Varian looked away. "I... don't know yet."

"Do you even know what it entails?"

"Sure, it's like a talent show for the really big and strong."

Eugene nodded. "Yeah..." he trailed off.

Varian sensed where he was going. "I get it, I'm not Hook Foot or Attilla-sized."

Eugene held up his hands. "Well, that doesn't always matter, but.. do you know anything about hand-to-hand combat?"

"Not really, but I'm willing to learn." said Varian eagerly.

"Are you sure you can learn it in 2 weeks?" asked Eugene.

Varian shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Have to admire your optimism, kid."

"Besides, no one's ever actually died, am I right?" joked Varian.

"Actually..." Eugene countered. "The numbers have gone down in recent years, but... yeah kid, they have."

Varian blinked. "Oh... well there's no guarantee I'll die."

" _There's no guarantee you'll live either_." thought Eugene miserably.

"Do you know anything about sword-fighting? I built a fencing partner out of a coatrack, but it's kind of not the same as getting actual one-on-one experience." said Varian.

Eugene smiled. "Yeah, I do know a few things about swordfighting. There's other things you can do besides swordfighting, though."

"Like...?" asked Varian.

"Well, there's always running the obstacle course, boxing, wrestling, jousting, and archery."

Varian thought for a moment, running the obstacle course sounded awfully dangerous and while he was trying to be brave, he wasn't trying to be stupid, same went for boxing and wrestling, sure, he had grown taller but he wasn't exactly Ogre-sized. So he would have to settle for either jousting or archery if he didn't do swordfighting.

"Okay, my first choice is swordfighting, but what about jousting and archery?"

"Pick archery, kid."

"Why?"

"Because otherwise you're going up against Sir Joseph." winced Eugene.

"Well... wouldn't I want to do that?"

Eugene shook his head. "In your case, no."

"Oh come on, it can't be that hard, certainly he hasn't won _every_ tournament he's ever been in." scoffed Varian.

"Um... actually... he kind of has."

Varian blinked. "There's always a first, right?"

Eugene sighed. "I'm not discounting miracles, kid, but--"

"Are you here to help me or talk me out of it?" asked Varian, feeling a bit insulted.

Eugene sighed. "Helping... helping... alright, we'll try it your way."

~*~*~*~

Quirin was out in town, getting supplies. Ever since getting out, he had overheard whispers about what Varian had done previously, of course he knew about the most recent debacle, the charge of necromancy, and the battle of Old Corona, but he didn't really know what had transpired between that. He did know one thing though, he hated the way the townspeople talked about his son. He could hear the whispers, and frankly it was humiliating.

" _That's Quirin_."

" _Oh, bless him, he has no idea, does he_?"

" _No... it can't be easy, living alone with a son that dangerous_."

" _If anyone can handle him, Quirin can. He hasn't been in trouble since Quirin got back, right_?"

" _Well, no, but_..."

" _Then that's what he needed. A good, strong hand to guide him. He'll be alright now_."

" _I can only hope... but no one lives forever, you know_."

Indeed, they were right, no one lived forever. Spending 4 years encased in amber had made him face his own mortality quite a few times. He wondered what would happen to Varian if he ever died for real. He felt like this was something of a practice run, and from what he could tell, Varian had failed miserably. Then again, he was a 14 year old child. He could hardly be held responsible for what had happened at the time, or really, anything after that.. but Quirin worried. What if some tragedy befell him again? Would his son finally go mad with grief and become an enemy of the state again?

He sighed miserably thinking about it.

" _Speaking of not living forever, did you hear the kid signed up for Challenge of the Brave_?"

" _You don't say! Well, if he fails, at least we won't be in danger if anything happens to Quirin_!"

Nasty laughter erupted from his fellow townspeople.

So that's what they really wanted... his son's blood on their hands, for entertainment, no less! His heart ached for his son. Varian was doing this all for the love of a girl, a girl who, in Quirin's opinion, probably wasn't all that attached to him to begin with. Truth be told though, he didn't know the depth of Cassandra's feelings, and she had organized a rescue mission for Varian when he had been sentenced to death, but if she were all that enamored of him, then his son's heart wouldn't be languishing for her like it was. 

He paid for his wares and made his way out of the marketplace, away from the nasty townsfolk. The only thing he wanted to do right now was get home and have a long talk with his son.

~*~*~*~

Eugene was pleasantly surprised at how fast Varian caught on to swordfighting techniques. No, he wasn't the strongest fighter, but he was quick. Speed could do a lot to wear an opponent out, Eugene knew this tactic well, he had used it quite a bit when he was younger and fighting opponents much bigger than him. 

"You're doing good kid, just--put a little more force behind it!" called Eugene, ducking as Varian swung at him.

"I'm putting all the force I can behind it!" panted Varian.

"Take a break, kid." said Eugene. "Ever tried walking in armor?"

"Uh... no, not really." said Varian.

"You'll need it for when you go up against Sir Joseph. He'll be wearing it. Do you have any?"

"Just my Dad's old suit but it won't fit me." sighed Varian. "I'm not tall enough."

Eugene nodded, while Varian had grown, he still wasn't the size of his Dad.

"Come on, kid. We'll go back to the castle, I'm sure they have an extra set lying around somewhere." Eugene clapped the younger boy on the back and they started to walk out of the field. Only to be halted by Quirin who was on his way back from the marketplace.

"Just where do you think you're going?" he demanded, glaring at Varian. "Has this field been weeded?"

"Y-Yes sir." stammered Varian, feeling like a little kid suddenly.

"And if I went and inspected each and every row, it would all be clean?"

Varian bit his lip. He was certain he'd been almost finished when Eugene had shown up, but he couldn't be sure. 

"Dad, I-"

"Varian." said Quirin severely.

Varian sighed. "I'll... do the thing later, Eugene."

Eugene nodded. "See you later."

As he walked off he heard the sounds of father and son disagreeing loudly.

"Did you have to go and embarrass me like that, Dad?!" cried Varian. 

"Oh, now you're embarrassed, and here I thought all this time you were above it." griped Quirin.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Varian demanded.

"It means exactly what you think it means, Varian. Drop this Challenge of the Brave, mess! We both know you'll end up dead if you continue!"

"I'm not dropping it! I want to prove myself--"

"How? By dying on a pretend battle field? Wait till a real war arises, son."

"Oh, like the one I waged?" asked Varian calmly, a bit too calmly.

Quirin's eyes narrowed. "What do _you_ mean?"

"Dad... what did they tell you about the battle of Old Corona, exactly?"

"Frederic said that you initiated a skirmish--"

"Oh, that's what he called it? Well I guess when you have the entire Coronian Army on your side, it'd be called that." muttered Varian bitterly.

"What did he leave out? If anything?" inquired Quirin, suddenly interested now.

"When you got encased, Dad... I had no one to help me. Everyone refused, no townspeople knew what to do, the Princess refused to help, the King and Queen were missing in action, so I did what I had to do." Varian was reluctant to disclose all of his crimes to his Dad, at least right now.

"Varian, don't be a fool! That's what they want, and you're playing right into their hands! Do you realize what the townspeople are saying about you? Do you realize that they have a deathwish for you?! I overheard them talking today about it, the townspeople want you to fail and die so that you can't wage another battle like the one in Old Corona!"

"Then they'll be sorely disappointed when I win, won't they?" snarled Varian.

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing. I actually want to fight Joseph honorably."

"And die a martyr for a girl who cares nothing for you? I see."

"How do YOU know how Cassandra feels?! Did you ask her?!" demanded Varian. "And... And I thought I'd finally done you proud, but I see that was just something you said." he hated seeing the defeated look on his face. "What else have you lied to me about, Dad?"

Quirin looked down, he really wasn't able to argue his son's point.

"While you were encased in amber, I waged battles you've only dreamed about! I built my own army, I infiltrated the castle, I took the Queen and I held her for ransom! Her life in exchange for yours!"

Frederic had downplayed the severity of Varian's crimes. Now Quirin realized just what he was dealing with.

"Then you're lucky to be alive!" he cried. "Do you realize that you've escaped death twice now?!"

"Of course I realize it, Dad." he snorted. "I've been in the dungeon twice, I've been led to the gallows, came within five feet of actually being on them... you know what I learned from all that?"

"I'm afraid to ask."

"Fake battlefields mean nothing. So that means, that this? Should be a cake walk."

Quirin stared in disbelief as his son shrugged and walked right past him.

"Varian!" he cried.

"And hey... if I die _honorably_ against Sir Joseph, then I guess you can finally be proud of me." he spat, walking off.

"VARIAN COME BACK HERE!!!" but Varian paid no heed as Quirin watched him walk away.


	6. There will be no challenge today!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist quoting the Black Panther movie ;) Can't very well have a challenge if there's nowhere to have it, can you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh the challenge of the brave went horribly wrong alright. And yeah I know Varian's acting kinda... well... like a chick in this one, but he's rightly concerned... poor guy.

Varian had walked all the way to the castle in a huff, he was going to give Flynn and Sir Joseph a run for their money when it came to sword fighting. He was too angry not to win, too angry not to prove everyone wrong. 

Now if only it weren't about to rain... maybe they could sword fight indoors today? He could ask, if not that would be alright. He needed to learn to swordfight in the rain anyway.

Suddenly a swirling vortex in the sky appeared.

"This isn't good." he looked up, swallowing hard.

Quickly, he raced for the castle, it wasn't safe to stay outside during a storm like this.

"EVERYBODY GET INSIDE!" he cried to the townspeople who were milling about outside. Thankfully they didn't need telling twice.

He ran towards the castle, desperately hoping that Cassandra wasn't outside.

The vortex was coming closer and closer to the ground, he ran inside the castle walls and ran right past one of the guards.

"HALT!" they caught him and held him back.

"SORRY! But th-there's a storm! A-Another one! It's really bad! If you don't believe me, just look!" he pointed outside and the guards gaped as they watched the swirling vortex touch down right over the ampitheatre.

"We have to get the vendors out!" cried one of the guards.

Eugene was right in behind them.

"I-I'll come help!" said Varian.

"No, kid, you'll just be in the way!" cried Eugene, shaking Varian off. Sir Joseph brushed past him going to join them. Varian looked dejected, slumping against the wall as he watched Eugene and the guards ride off together. He wished they didn't think of him as a liability, he really did want to help.

"It's not like I can go either." said a voice sadly. It was Cassandra.

"Oh.. you're not out in this. Thank heaven." he sighed.

"Nah, me and Raps came back inside when the sky got dark. It was so sudden, what on earth happened?"

Varian shrugged. "Beats me, I was just on my way here to--"

But his words were cut off by a horrific crashing sound and lots of screaming. They whirled around to watch in horror as the ampitheatre was demolished by the vortex. 

"Holy...!"

Suddenly the Vortex disappeared and in its place was a giant, grey-green dragon.

"I need to be there!" cried Cassandra.

"Cas, you can't--your arm is still--"

"I'm Lord Commandress! This isn't an act of nature it's an act of--"

A roar and another crash sounded, another side of the ampitheater went down, this time several guards and Eugene disappeared along with it.

"EUGENE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shrieked Rapunzel.

"I'M ON IT RAPS!" cried Cassandra, running out onto the drawbridge.

Rapunzel had been on her balcony when she shrieked, now he could hear her distressed sobs as she ran down the stairs, he hoped she wouldn't break her neck on the way down. The Queen must have heard her cries because she met her daughter at the end of the staircase.

"Oh, honey!"

Varian had a decision to make, he could wait it out at the castle with the Princess and the Queen, or he could take a page from The Warrior and the Wizard and leap into battle alongside Cassandra.

Only... there was already someone doing that.

"STAND BACK!" cried Joseph, who was holding the dragon at bay until Cassandra could get there.

He watched as the two beat back the dragon, fighting perfectly in unison, watching the thing hiss and writhe... but surprisingly it was not breathing fire. In fact, it looked different than most dragons he'd ever heard described. The creatures he had heard of were stout creatures with long necks, four legs and small wings. This dragon was more snake-like and had the tiny wings but it also had what looked like a frill around its head and small legs. 

Something was niggling at the back of his brain, something he should know. During the brief times he had spent with his grandfather, he had told him repeatedly the stories of "The Dragon from the Spice Road" and it seemed to fit the description of the dragon in front of them very well. Which could only mean one thing...

" _This is not a western dragon_."

This meant that more likely than not, the dragon could be reasoned with, it wanted something! 

"Cassandra, wait!" he cried.

"What now?!" she cried irritably. "I'll be fine, Varian!"

"That's not it, the dragon can be reasoned with--"

"Are you crazy?! It just demolished an entire ampitheatre, there's no time!"

"Cassandra, trust me, I know what I'm--"

"CASS! NOW!"

Cassandra quickly glanced between them and rushed over to Sir Joseph to finish helping him battle the beast, Varian hung his head.

"...talking about." he finished, glumly.

Cassandra and Joseph were impressive in battle, they seemed to know what the other was thinking. Any other time, he would've enjoyed watching them, but right now he couldn't help but feel like he'd just lost an important battle himself. It was Joseph who struck the final, offending blow, the dragon flew off screeching a high-pitched, almost heartbroken wail. For just a brief moment, he could identify with it, after all, he felt like he'd just lost an important battle himself.

He watched as several of the pub thugs and Monty uncovered Eugene from the rubble and helped him inside the castle, thankfully he could still walk but there was a large gash on his shoulder where he had been hit. He winced in sympathy, poor Eugene.

Rapunzel came running out of the castle, crying.

"Eugene are you okay?!" 

He grunted. "I-I think so--OW!"

"Let me get the royal medic--"

"He's out of commission." panted Cassandra. "He got knocked out by some flying rubble."

"I'll help." volunteered Varian, even though he really didn't feel like helping at all at the moment, Eugene shouldn't suffer for something he couldn't help.

Rapunzel threw him a grateful look. "Oh, thank you...!" she cried.

"You're welcome." replied Varian humbly. It was the least he could do.

~*~*~*~

"Owwww..." moaned Eugene.

"Oh, my poor bimberry." Rapunzel stroked his hair as Eugene pouted.

"Um, Princess, I have to put the poultice on." said Varian gently.

"Oh! Sorry!" Rapunzel was quick to move as Varian laid the moist cloth against Eugene's shoulder.

"OWWWWW!" howled Eugene.

"I can't possibly be hurting you." grumbled Varian.

"It's COLD!" Eugene whimpered.

"It's supposed to be, it keeps the bleeding down that way." said Varian.

Rapunzel looked intrigued. "Really?"

Varian nodded. "It also keeps one from passing out from the stench of blood."

Rapunzel grimaced.

"Blondie, this is gonna get messy." grunted Eugene. "Why don't you go tell the King and Queen I'm okay?"

"You're forgetting, I saw you bleed to death on our third day together." Rapunzel reminded him. "But alright."

"She keeps reminding me of that... hey wait.. didn't you used to pass out at the sight of blood?" inquired Eugene

"Used to." commented Varian. "Not so much anymore."

"How did you get over that, kid?"

"When you apprentice a doctor, you get over things like that fast." shrugged Varian. 

Eugene blinked. "Yeah, that's right..." suddenly he realized that whatever Varian had put on his arm made it feel 100% better. "You've got a real knack for this, kid."

"Thanks." he muttered. "At least I'm helpful to someone."

Eugene couldn't help but notice how sad he looked.

"What's wrong, kid?"

"This dragon... i-it's..." he sighed. "Oh, you'd just think I'm crazy too."

"I almost got squashed by this thing, anything to help prevent that would be nice." said Eugene. "So let's hear it."

"This dragon's an eastern dragon. They can be reasoned with, talked down, communicated with! If we just found out what it wanted it would leave us alone!" volunteered the young alchemist. 

Eugene looked at him skeptically. "Really? A dragon?"

"Oh, a dragon is a very intelligent creature--but there's two different species. One is governed by reason, the other is governed by instinct."

"Which ones do we normally have?" grimaced Eugene.

"We have Western ones." said Varian. "But this one isn't. This one is an Eastern one... which means, it wants something. That's usually the only reason they travel beyond the caves on the spice road. That's what my Grandad used to say."

Eugene looked intrigued. "Maybe you should tell that to the King."

~*~*~*~

" _Due to the ampitheatre being destroyed, there will be no Challenge of the Brave this year_."

The Royal decree was sent out much to everyone's dismay. All the competitors were packing up and going home, there was no place to have The Challenge since the dragon had destroyed the ampitheatre. 

However, Sir Joseph was staying.

"Your Majesty, I've battled these kinds of beasts before and slayed several, it would give me great pleasure to offer my services." said Sir Joseph with a deep bow.

"Very well." said Frederick. "You can help our Lord Commandress lead the charge against it."

"It'll be my honor."

Varian broke in, "I-If I may, your Majesty."

"Yes, Varian?"

"This... this isn't a western dragon, your Majesty." he began. 

Frederic tilted his head. "The difference being?"

"We may not have to slay it."

Joseph turned to glare at him. "It demolished an entire ampitheatre and caused royal _and_ civillian casualties, and you're saying we may _not_ have to slay it?"

"Just hear me out!" Varian broke in. "Eastern Dragons can actually communicate with humans, provided you use the proper protocols. If we try and see what it wants, then we may not have to go in there and kill it after all."

The King looked thoughtful, but Sir Joseph just burst out laughing. 

"Your Majesty, has this _person_ ever been in a dragon battle in his life?"

The King shook his head. Varian glared.

"No, but my Grandad used to travel the spice road. He used to tell me about Eastern Dragons all the time and how civillized they were. Your Majesty, if we find out what it wants, then we could save a lot of lives."

"And if we spare this beast, we could risk Corona being razed to the ground." said Sir Joseph gravely. "Who are you going to listen to, your Majesty? An experienced warrior or someone who got his knowledge second-hand from a lowly spice trader?"

"LOWLY?!" cried Varian, insulted.

"Varian, as valuable as the information you have is, I can't risk Corona's safety by negotiating with an angry beast. Sir Joseph, you may start gathering forces."

"Thank you, your Majesty."

"Excuse me, LOWLY?!" challenged Varian at Sir Joseph.

"I've no intention of insulting you." said SIr Joseph. "But you're from old Corona peasant stock, am I right?"

Varian crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. "I _waged_ the battle of Old Corona, excuse you."

Sir Joseph looked at him confusedly. "Wait... you're the one? I expected you to be a lot taller."

"And I expected someone with your battle experience to listen to reason but we can't all have what we want, it seems!"

"What did you say to me?!"

Suddenly, Cassandra appeared and practically dragged Varian away. "What do you think you're doing?!" she hissed.

"Saving you from getting eaten by a dragon!" snorted Varian.

Cassandra looked unimpressed. "Did I get eaten today?"

"No, but--"

"Then let me help fight it!" 

"Cassandra, these things are dangerous and your arm hasn't fully healed yet! If it breaks open mid-battle, then what?"

"Then I do the best I can! War is never pretty, Varian--"

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?!" he cried, patience finally snapping. "The guy I was apprenticed to went crazy during the war after failing to patch up one too many casualties! No, it's never pretty, and it never prepares you for someone you care about potentially dying!"

Cassandra blinked.

"I love you." he confessed sadly. "Why can't you see that I'm trying to help?"

"Varian, I-I..." her voice died in her throat. She loved him, but this was a really public place.

"You what?"

"Nothing. Look, the king's orders--"

"The King is wrong!" he protested. "This'll wipe out half of Corona's forces!"

"I don't have a choice, Varian!"

"Yes you do! You're Lord Commandress, you could persuade him differently!"

"But what if _you're_ wrong and the thing ends up eating us anyway?"

"Can't you see that's what I'm trying to prevent?! I can't stand to lose you, Cas! Not like this! Please..." he trailed off, brokenly.

"Varian, for crying out loud, you won't lose me!"

"Why doesn't my concern mean anything to you?!" he demanded. "I ask you to sit this one out and you charge forward anyway, but if Joseph asked you I'm sure you'd be all content to sit there like a lapdog!"

"Are you jealous of Joseph?!" she cried, unable to believe her ears.

"Should I be?!"

"NO!" she spat. "And how dare you think that of me!"

"Well, there had to be some reason you didn't want to celebrate the Day of Hearts together!"

Cassandra crossed her arms. "THAT'S what you're mad about?!"

"It's a strange thing to me, you won't celebrate with the guy that saved your life but you'll willingly put your life on the line for this worthless hunk of metal that rode up from Heaven knows where--"

"THE WESTERLANDS! And he's not worthless, he was really important when it came to winning the war--"

"Where was he went you went off the side of that mountain?!" 

"He was already back in the Westerlands! The allies go home after the battle is won!"

Varian snorted. "Likely story. It's pretty obvious you've made your choice anyway."

"My choice is Corona."

"Good. Then we can stop pretending we ever meant anything to each other!" he spat, trudging away.

"FINE THEN!!!" Cassandra stormed away in the other direction.

He had a point, though... why was she so reluctant to celebrate the Day of Hearts with him but so willing to fight alongside Joseph? Well, that was easy, Corona needed her... but aside from that, battle was something she knew, she had waged several successful war campaigns. Matters of the heart were something, as far as she was concerned, that was only successful in romance novels. And again, she had been proven right.

" _God, what have I done_?!"


	7. Baiting the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is a brave warrior like Sir Joseph doing hiding behind Corona's Lord Commandress?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ol' Joey's true colors come out... not that we didn't see them already. ;)

Cassandra and Joseph were busy discussing their tactics for slaying the dragon.

"We should really try to track it again." said Cassandra. 

"They're experts at hiding." muttered Joseph. "They hide in caves and pop out when you least expect them. That's why, we need bait."

Cassandra blinked. "Bait?"

"Yes, bait. I've seen it done before. In the Westerlands, a farmer offered up two cows as dragon bait."

"I... doubt any farmers would offer up any cows as bait in Corona." said Cassandra. 

"Oh, I wasn't thinking of cows." said Joseph. "Your friend, Varian, has an interesting theory about this species of dragon being more intelligent. So I thought, what if we offered up the other thing that dragons are good at taking?"

Cassandra looked horrified. "Joey, we aren't sacrificing the Princess of Corona--"

Joseph shook his head, laughing. "The Princess isn't even going to be involved. I was thinking we use you as bait to lure it, _then_ we slay it."

Cassandra did a double-take. "Me?"

"Well, dragons have a tendency to steal damsels in distress--"

"Excuse you, I am not a damsel in distress. I _won_ a war!" snapped Cassandra.

"With my help." reminded Joseph. "I'd like to keep helping Coronian forces, Cassandra.. but in order for that to happen, I need your cooperation." 

"But if you don't get there in time, then what? I'm stuck battling a dragon by _myself_ , and that's a battle I won't be able to win, Joey. We both know this!"

"We'll be right there the entire time, the Westerlands and the Coronian Army! We just need you to go a few steps ahead of us and lure out the beast, is all. It'll be just like old times, Cassandra. Remember? Just you and me on the battlefield, commanding our armies together?" he smiled at the memory.

Cassandra nodded, but something was niggling at her, what Varian had said. " _If we try and see what it wants, then we may not have to go in there and kill it after all_." It's not that she was all that sympathetic to dragons, but at the same time, she was still healing and she knew dragons were attracted to blood, or any other kind of injury, really.

"Joseph, if that thing goes into bloodlust mode, it's going to take a lot more than just two armies to hold it back." she pointed out.

"I've battled dragons before, Cass, I know very well what they're capable of." said Joseph. "Do you think I intend to fail?"

"Joey, I know you don't intend to fail--"

"Don't tell me you're _afraid_." teased Joseph. "Do you not trust me, Cassandra?"

"It's not _you_ I don't trust, it's just... this tactic... at least let's use something that isn't human as bait."

"You heard what the pipsqueak said, he said they're intelligent. If it's intelligent as they claim then it won't be appeased by a few cows."

Cassandra looked at him... she got the feeling that there was something Joseph wasn't telling her about this whole dragon deal. Suddenly she rounded on him.

"YOU know more than you're telling!" she growled. "What is it?!"

Joseph hung his head. "Cassandra, I... I may be in trouble."

"What did you do, Joey?" she demanded.

"I didn't mean to do it." he admitted. "I had just defeated the sirens, and one day while traveling past a cave on the spice road, I happened to be humming that song they always sing."

Cassandra wasn't following.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You do know what the Siren song does, right?"

"It makes sailors fall in love with mermaids, right?"

"Not just mermaids... anyone who hears the song, really."

Suddenly, Cass put two and two together and burst out laughing.

"Y-You mean... you made a _dragon_ fall in love with you?!"

"So it would seem..." Joseph admitted sheepishly.

"Well, tell the dragon you're just not that into him!" cried Cassandra, doubled-over in a fit of giggles.

"That was a little different than my plan." said Joseph. 

Cass wiped a tear from her eye. "And what, praytell, was your plan?"

"I offer a suitable substitute, and then we slay it."

"And that substitute is going to be me? I don't think so, buddy!"

"Or... we could pretend to be together and let the dragon down easy."

Cassandra shook her head... even though they were mad at each other, she couldn't bear to do that to Varian. 

"Joey... I... _no_." she said emphatically.

Joseph shrugged. "Worth a shot. You never did do anything with half your heart involved, did you Cass?" he chuckled. 

"I guess you could say that." said Cassandra uncomfortably, rubbing her arm and looking away. "Look, I'll be the bait."

"That's my girl." smiled Joseph.

But Cassandra was afraid now.

~*~*~*~

Rapunzel tried to admire the fire opals that Sir Joseph had gifted the royal family, but found herself unable to. They were strange looking things that seemed to change every day. They moved of their own accord and weren't always pretty, in fact most of the time they seemed to have a cloudy gray cast to them... and had they gotten bigger? 

"These are the weirdest things I've ever seen." she wrinkled her nose, picking one up. As soon as she did its temperature seemed to rise in her hand from room temperature to flaming hot. She dropped it, now the stone was glowing.

"I-Is it supposed to do that?" she asked.

"Well," shrugged Frederic. "It's called a 'fire opal', but I'm not entirely sure why."

"Let me see that, honey." said Arianna, going over and picking up the stone, examining it in her hands. 

The stone had stopped glowing, but Arianna noticed something, there was a slight crack in it.

"Opals aren't supposed to crack, are they?" she asked.

Frederic shrugged. "Opals are soft gemstones, so they say, so perhaps."

"Oh well, you couldn't help it sweetheart." she said, placing the opal among the other ones and patting Rapunzel on the head. But the Princess couldn't help but feel that something was up with those gemstones. She wandered from the throne room to Hermut's quarters, where Eugene was, trying on various hats.

"Hey... Eugene?" she asked.

"Yeah Blondie, how's this look?"

The hat in question was a tri-cornered one. 

"Um... Eugene... it's... not your thing. Trust me."

Eugene frowned. "You know, you're right. Thanks, Sunshine." 

"I have something to ask you." she began. 

"What is it, Blondie?"

"Did those fire opals seem strange to you?" she asked.

"Come to think of it, they did." said Eugene. "Now, I've never seen any real ones up close before, but I know someone who has."

"Who?"

"Lance."

"Really? Lance has seen them up close?"

"Well.. yeah, Blondie... sometimes he pulled different jobs than I did. We didn't always work together."

"Oh, I see." said Rapunzel. "Do you think he could come over and take a look at them?"

"Sure probably. I'll get a message to him." said Eugene. "What happened?"

"I picked up one, it burned my hand and glowed... and when I dropped it, it cracked."

"That... doesn't sound like an opal." muttered Eugene.

"Yeah, I... don't know what else it could be though."

"Me either."

Something in the pit of Eugene's stomach didn't feel right. Something was definitely off about those opals, he had sensed it the moment he saw them. "Don't worry Blondie, I'll get Lance on it."

~*~*~*~

Varian had trudged all the way home. 

It was easy to see now that Cassandra just didn't feel the same way about him as he felt about her. The way she had hid him from everyone, had never really talked about how they were together to anyone...

He was her dirty little secret. 

He felt horrible. 

"Varian!" cried his Dad, rushing out of the house. "Are you okay? I heard there was a terrible storm."

"I'm fine, Dad." said Varian sadly.

But he wasn't fine. Quirin could tell. 

"Varian, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Dad..." he replied testily.

"Varian, talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, Dad." he assured him, iciness creeping into his voice.

"Yes there is." the older man put a hand on his son's shoulder.

Varian brushed it away.

"You were right, okay?! Happy now?! You were _right_!" the young alchemist exploded, finally losing his patience. "We're not together anymore! So hey, big win for you! You were right!"

"I'm so sorry, son." said Quirin, reaching out for his son, but Varian recoiled.

"I guess... in her eyes... I'm not much to be proud of..." he finished, slamming the door to his room. 

Quirin hung his head. "That was _never_ what I meant." 

Suddenly, he had a Lord Commandress to find.


	8. The proof is in the opals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out that the opals aren't what they seem to be...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I don't remember which one of you wanted a conversation between Cassandra and Quirin but YOU'RE WELCOME. :)

It wasn't becoming of a Lord Commandress to show fear.

So no one knew the turmoil that Cassandra was going through when she worked her guards extra hard on maneuvers the next day. She didn't want them to know the decision she was undertaking. Even the normally stoic Dungeon Dave was heard to grumble, " _Good grief_." under his breath after the day was over.

Cassandra lifted of her helmet and shook her hair free she was about to go inside, take a bath and resume her Lady-in-Waiting duties, when she was approached by a familiar face.

"Quirin?" she asked. 

"Lord Commandress." he bowed slightly at her.

"At ease, soldier." she said softly.

"Milady, it's none of my business, and Varian would absolutely die if he knew I were here, but I feel its my responsibility to warn you... or... maybe you already know, Varian doesn't take sad things very well."

Cassandra nodded. "I know... I was the one that laid siege to your house."

"I'll do what I can to stop him... after all, the heart wants what it wants." 

Cassandra did a double-take.

"What?"

"You and Sir Joseph will be very happy together--"

"N-No!" she cried. "No, oh God no, Joey?! No! We... it's not like that, I assure you!"

"Then... I don't understand."

"It really has nothing to do with Varian... Joseph and I were allies in the war, he's helping me fight this dragon. We came up with a strategy yesterday... to lure it out."

Quirin's eyes widened. "Go on..."

"I'm going to be the bait." said Cassandra. "Since dragons like damsels in distress, but I don't see how on earth I could be one of those since I won an entire _war_ , let's hope intelligent dragons don't keep up with Royal decrees--"

" _DON'T_!" cried Quirin.

Cassandra looked up.

"I don't know Sir Joseph, but I question his methods as a knight and as a gentleman." said Quirin firmly. "Milady, I beg of you, not even for my son's sake but for the sake of Corona itself, don't go through with this! An intelligent dragon it may be, but even intelligent dragons can be bloodthirsty."

"You got a point." said Cassandra. It was true, what was she thinking? Risking the safety of Corona like that? She was their Lord Commandress! 

"As for Varian, a broken heart will heal, but losing you forever is something I fear he'll never recover from. I say that as a Father that knows his son very well." 

Cassandra simply nodded, she felt like she might cry. 

Quirin felt like he'd said too much. "I... give you leave, milady."

Quickly, she made her way back into the castle and resumed her Lady-in-Waiting duties. As long as she kept herself busy she was okay, but as the day wore on and turned into evening she began to get restless and wondered how Varian was doing. Normally, he'd wait for her in the courtyard in the moonlight and she'd see his sillouhette... but not tonight. Tonight, the courtyard was empty.

It was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~

"To what do I owe this pleasure to?" asked Lance, picking the cherry tomato off a club sandwich and consuming it. There was a feast set before him, and he intended on consuming every last bit of it, except for Eugene's plate.

"The royal family requires your expertise." explained Eugene. 

" _My_ expertise?" Lance looked proud. "Why, whatever would they need my expertise for?" 

Eugene took out a small chest and opened it, the inside was lined with purple velvet, and on it looked to be... a pile of gray rocks?

"What are these?"

"Sir Joseph thinks they're fire opals." said Eugene. "Now, I've never seen fire opals before but you have."

"Yeah, fire opals are named because they look like fire."

"Well these... do things." said Eugene. "Pick one up."

Reluctantly, Lance picked up one of the stones and watched as it developed veins like lava, then glowed red hot.

"OOH!" he cried, dropping it onto his plate.

"Is that a fire opal?" asked Eugene.

"No... fire opals are always orange and red. That... I don't what THAT is!" 

"You don't?" Eugene's voice was suddenly much higher than it usually was.

"Nah man, I've seen plenty of Fire Opals in my day but that's one for the books. Who sold it to him?"

"I... don't know. He said he found them."

"I'm glad he didn't pay for 'em." said Lance. "Because those are NOT fire opals." 

"But if they're not fire opals." said Eugene as the stone on Lance's plate began to glow. "What are they?"

~*~*~*~

Cassandra met Joseph for lunch that day... but she wasn't very hungry.

"So, down to planning." he began. "Just in case this isn't an intelligent dragon, are you up for dressing in dead fish?"

"What?!" cried Cassandra incredulously. 

"Well, just in case it isn't an eastern dragon and we're mistaken, we may need you to wear some dead halibut around your neck."

"Are you CRAZY?! I thought you knew for certain that this was an eastern dragon!"

"It's... an educated guess."

"Then why don't you ask someone who knows for sure!" she snapped. "Look, Joseph, if you're not sure of this, then I'm not sure of this. If you're going to use me as bait then you have to make sure the thing can be reasoned with--otherwise, Corona is down a Lord Commandress and that can't happen--"

"You're backing out?!"

"DO YOU BLAME ME?! I'm not standing on the side of a mountain wearing dead fish waiting on some creature to come charbroil me!!!" 

"I helped you WIN Corona from an almost certain defeat!" snarled Joseph. 

"No, you rode us into an ambush THAT I HAD TO HELP YOU OUT OF!" roared Cassandra.

"So you won't help me?!"

"I'm saying there has to be another way." said Cassandra. "Something that doesn't require me putting my life on the line."

Joseph's eyes narrowed. "I never knew you were one for cowardice, Lord Commandress." he snorted icily, stalking away.

Cassandra rushed off. 

~*~*~*~

Varian's normal reaction when heartbroken was to distract himself with something to fix the problem. When his Mother had died of dysentery, he had built 5 large water tanks so that Corona could have the clean, hot, running water that his own Mother never had access to. Nevermind that they hadn't worked. 

When his Dad had been encased in amber he had built an entire army of automatons to take Corona and literally throttle the King until he was heard. Nevermind that it had resulted in a dungeon sentence and a reputation that he still had to fight to this day. 

But with Cassandra... 

Was there anything he could do? 

He eyed the ancient carcass of an automaton. It wouldn't take an entire army for this one, just one decently built automaton to sublimate his rage... to really take on the rival for his affections one-on-one. He thought about how satisfying it would be to grab Sir Joseph and shake him like a tinkertoy. 

But... 

The choice was hers... ultimately... everything was Cassandra's decision. There was nothing he could do that he hadn't already done. Now he had to sit back and wait... even though they weren't exactly broken up, they might as well have been. He felt so far away from her at that moment. 

There was always the possibility of a love potion...

Quickly he gathered the ingredients, but then realized just what he was doing. All these months, Cassandra had loved him of her own volition... anything less would be a lie. A pleasant lie, but a lie nonetheless.

He gripped the vials as hard as he could and flung them against the wall, dropping to his knees.

There was no potion to heal a broken heart.


	9. Almost doesn't count

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian FINALLY goes after Sir Joseph. And Cassandra admits her feelings... sort of ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope ya'll didn't need your hearts. ;) THANK YOU FOR ALL THE KIND COMMENTS! I named the chapter after one of my favorite songs lol

Maybe love potion wasn't the solution to his problems. Maybe there was nothing he could do about Cassandra. But... he could still make his grievances known.

Donning his cloak, Varian stalked off into the night and went looking for a certain, dark-armored knight.

"I'm here to see Sir Joseph." he told one of the guards. 

"He went out." said Pete.

"Where?" asked Varian. 

Pete looked at Stan and they both just shrugged.

"Are you two not observant at all?" Dave piped up. "He went out to the flailing swan or whatever that place is."

"Snuggly Duckling. Got it. Thanks." said Varian darkly, turning on his heel.

"Great..." muttered Pete. "You're gonna get the kid broken into a million pieces, Dave."

The big guard just scowled.

"I don't know." shrugged Stan. "He broke the Captain the last time he was angry." 

All three of the blanched, wondering just what kind of shape Sir Joseph was going to wind up in.

~*~*~*~

Sir Joseph had decided that his last night on this earth would be spent in the midst of merrymaking. Even though he hardly felt like it at the moment. His grand plan had been ruined and now he didn't know what he was going to do. After all, he couldn't very well offer himself as bait _and_ slay the dragon at the same time. 

Thankfully, the pub was very loud, so no one paid attention to the large knight silently crying into his ale.

Suddenly the pub's doors were thrown open and the room cooled about 10 degrees. 

"I'm here to see Sir Joseph." growled an intimidating voice, there was a stranger in a green glowing-eyed mask and a long black coat.

"Who are you?" asked the barkeep.

"I am... The End of Times." 

"RUN! IT'S THE GRIM REAPER!" cried several thugs, falling all over themselves to get out of the surprisingly short stranger's way.

Sir Joseph stared at his glass... certainly he hadn't drank enough to hallucinate... not yet, at least.

As soon as the pub cleared of everyone (including the bar keep), the stranger took off the mask. 

"When in Rome..." he muttered, now mask free.

"Varian...?" asked Joseph.

Varian sat down across from him, glaring.

"I think you and I need to have a little _talk_." he spat through gritted teeth, grabbing the knight by the collar and with shockingly strong grip he pulled him out of his seat to meet him eye-to-eye.

"Easy there." muttered Joseph. "Don't want to hurt yourself."

"Oh-ho-ho, don't flatter yourself, metal-head." he growled. "If you think for one _second_ that I'm stepping aside and letting you have Cassandra without a proper duel--"

"Ohh don't even _mention_ her to me!" wailed Joseph, causing Varian to drop him back to his seat.

Varian chuckled, "Not that I actually _care_ that you're upset, but, what happened?"

"I came up with a terrific plan to rid Corona of the dragon and Cassandra _ruined_ it!" sobbed the knight, pounding his fist on the table.

"Again, at the risk of sounding like I care, which I don't, _how_?"

"All I wanted her to do was be the bait!" sniffled Joseph. "She was going to stand near the lair and wear dead fish and..."

Varian couldn't seem to understand much more because there was too much steam pouring out of his ears. Suddenly, he spotted the knight's helmet in the seat next to him. He handed it to him.

"Here, put this on."

"Wha--Why?"

"You're gonna need it."

Slowly, Joseph put his helmet back on. It was then that Varian grabbed him by the collar and slammed his head into the table.

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" cried Joseph, his ears ringing.

"FOR TRYING TO USE OUR LORD COMMANDRESS AS DRAGON BAIT, YOU IDIOT!" roared Varian.

"Owwww... okay maybe it wasn't the best idea, but it was the only idea I had. And I can't _leave_ Corona defenseless... I-I mean... it's kind of my fault the thing followed me here in the first place." he admitted, at length.

"Your fault?" suddenly Varian was regretting leaving the automaton behind.

"I was on the spice road when it started raining, so I stepped inside a cave for shelter, and that's when I saw them."

"What?"

"The fire opals."

"Fire... opals?"

"Well, yeah, they were mostly gray but they had veins in them that looked like lava and they were hard as a rock, but the dragon was hiding them behind some hot coals."

Varian's left eye twitched before grabbing Sir Joseph and repeatedly head-tabling him.

"THOSE. WERE NOT. FIRE. OPALS. YOU. IDIOT!" he cried, punctuating every word with a slam.

"OWWW STOP!!" whined Joseph, when his ears stopped ringing he looked at Varian quizzically. "What do you mean they're not fire opals."

"They were _dragon eggs_ , you lummox!!! That's what they look like!"

"Then what do fire opals look like, then?!"

"NOT. THAT!" roared Varian.

"I didn't KNOW! And now I have nothing to defeat this dragon with, a-and its in love with me!" sobbed Joseph.

"Wait what?" the corner of Varian's mouth twitched.

"You heard me!" grumbled Sir Joseph. 

"H-How did you make a dragon fall in love with you?"

"I was singing the siren song while gathering the op--I mean--eggs."

Varian cracked up.

"Oh stop LAUGHING! It isn't funny! I didn't know the siren song would work on DRAGONS!"

"I don't know what's funnier, the fact that you believed dragon's eggs were fire opals or..." he trailed off, suddenly realizing he could use Sir Joseph's non-knowledge as an advantage.

"Or what?"

"Or... that you didn't ask me first." chuckled Varian. "I know all about dragons... why don't _I_ help you?"

"You can't slay a dragon." scoffed Joseph.

"

"But you said you needed bait, right?"

"I... yeah." said Sir Joseph.

"Well look no further, I volunteer." offered Varian. "And... by the way, what was that song?"

~*~*~*~

"I need the opals back, your majesty..." said Sir Joseph sheepishly.

"They were a gift and you're taking them back, why?" demanded Frederic.

"Because, I need them to help lure out the dragon." 

Frederic blinked.

"It is true, dragons are attracted to treasure... but why the opals?"

Varian stood there, arms crossed. "Do you want to tell him, or should I?"

"I'll tell him!" growled Joseph. "Because I originally found them in the beast's cave, your majesty."

"WHAT?!" roared Frederic. "You gave me Dragon's treasure?! NO WONDER IT WANTS TO RAZE CORONA TO THE GROUND!"

"I... I didn't know what I was taking." beseeched Joseph. "I'm sorry!"

"Joseph, you've dealt with dragons before, haven't you?"

"I've slayed them your majesty, but never this variety." admitted Joseph. "I've only ever dealt with western dragons before... this dragon is of another variety and isn't like the mindless beasts I've dealt with." 

"That's no excuse, Joseph."

"I had no idea what I was taking! I really didn't.. please, your majesty, if I can just fix this..."

"Fine, get them out of my sight." spat Frederic. "But what is your plan to get rid of it?"

"I... am using two kinds of bait, your majesty." said Joseph. 

"So the opals and...?"

"Varian here has volunteered to be the other kind."

Frederic's jaw dropped. "A-Are you sure about this, son?"

Varian just shrugged. "I know a little bit more about the eastern variety than Sir Joseph does." 

"As long as you're sure." The King visibly paled, but Varian had a rather... smug look on his face? For the life of him, Frederic couldn't manage to read the boy. Not that he'd ever really been able to. Quirin's son was as much of a mystery as his Father was at times.

"Oh, I'm sure." said Varian confidently.

"Alright then, Joseph... you may... proceed." faltered the King, unable to believe what he was seeing.

~*~*~*~

News traveled quickly through the Kingdom of Joseph's plan.

"Ohhhhh this is bad!" cried Eugene. "This is bad, this is bad, this is BAD!"

"You damn right this is bad." said Lance. "Boy's gonna get himself melted!"

"And then who's gonna tell Cassandra?" grimaced Eugene.

"Tell Cassandra what?" she asked, she had just walked in on the conversation.

"Uhhh... oh, that... your halbred is nice and shiny today."

"Thanks, I polished it myself. Seriously what is going on?!"

"I think this requires a certain finesse that you don't possess, my good man." said Lance. "Uh, Cassandra, your boy just volunteered to be dragon chow."

"HE WHAT?!" she shrieked.

"I thought you said FINESSE!" cried Eugene. "THAT'S NOT FINESSE!"

Lance shrugged. "Yeah, Joseph and him just walked out of the throne room and he's gonna be the bait--"

"While Joseph and I battle the dragon?!"

"Well, I mean.. let's give the kid some credit here." said Eugene. "He might be able to take on the thing with one arm, just... get him one of those giant metal things he built a long time ago."

"Are you crazy?!" she cried. "Even if he went up against these things with an automaton, the automatons are made of metal, when metal heats up things get cooked! He'd be COOKED ALIVE!"

Suddenly, the sound of her own words made her sick. Cassandra fled.

~*~*~*~

Rapunzel hadn't meant to find Cassandra in the castle garden, crying over her well-worn copy of The Warrior and the Wizard, but she just had. 

"C-Cass...?"

Cassandra tried to conceal her tears.

"Hi Raps."

But her voice broke, and Rapunzel just _knew_.

"Oh... Cass! I'm so sorry!!!" she cried, hugging her friend.

Cassandra sobbed into her friend's shoulder. 

"N-Now I won't ever g-get to..."

"Well, he's still alive!" Rapunzel pointed out. "You could go talk to him!"

"What would I possibly say?"

"I love you and I don't want you to do this?" said Rapunzel questioningly.

"He told me the same thing and I..." she looked away. "I didn't pay any attention to it. So why should I expect him to?"

"Because he loves you? And maybe it'd make all the difference in the world if he knew you loved him back."

But it was too late. Cassandra began to sob harder.


	10. Helplessly, Hoplessly...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cass and Varian reach an impasse. ;A; * _sob_ *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for your hearts in advance.

Cassandra realized that tomorrow there was a very real possibility that she would have to watch Varian die. 

She hadn't really thought about that possibility until now.

" _He wouldn't be the first person_..." a part of her thought coldly. 

She had lost troops on the battlefield before, and she had experienced the pain of never knowing her own Mother... but she had never watched anyone she loved _die_ before, and suddenly she was terrified. 

She had to talk to him. Even if it was a fight, she had to see him, hear his voice one more time. She found him in one of the many rooms in the castle, he seemed to be.. playing a lute? 

"Varian...?"

He put the lute down, stiffening.

"Cassandra."

"Hey..."

He almost lost his nerve right then and there. It felt so good to see her again. He wanted to run over to her and take her in his arms... but... there was no room for him there anymore.

"Y-You volunteered to help Joseph?" asked Cassandra, at length. He could've sworn he saw her chin quiver.

"No, I volunteered to help _you_." he ground out, arms crossed.

"Me? How is this helping _me_?" she asked.

"Because I can't sit back on the sidelines while you go off and battle a dragon! You seem to forget, I've waged war before, I'm not as helpless as you think!" he spat.

"But this isn't your fight--"

"Nor is it _yours_! Joseph brought it on himself, we should both be stepping aside and letting _him_ deal with it, but here we are!"

"Would you rather have the dragon raze Corona to the ground?!"

"I'd rather the woman I love not end up in a pile of ashes!"

"HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL?!" she yelled, suddenly clapping her hands over her mouth and turning away. 

This had been a bad idea... suddenly her resolve was wavering and she wanted to cry. But crying would be weak and pathetic, and the last thing she needed to do right now was look weak.

Varian should've backed down, but he was prideful. 

"So, _now_ you care?"

She whirled around to glare at him, she had forgotten how icy he could be when angry. "Who said I stopped caring?!" she demanded.

Varian flinched, he hadn't taken into account that Cassandra might actually still care for him.

"You have a funny way of showing it!" he cried. "Dismissing me when I was worried about you? Both varieties of dragon have been known to be bloodthirsty, Cass, and you happen to have a wound that's still healing!" 

"Varian, if I don't protect Corona--"

"CORONA WILL ENDURE!" he roared, quoting his Dad from years before. "But you're one person, Cassie..." his voice cracked painfully. "If it comes down to the dragon taking you or me, I at least want to be there so I can offer myself to it!"

She stared at him in horror.

"W-What?! I won't LET you!" she cried.

"Last time I checked, I've got a free will." he muttered. "It's my choice, Cassie."

"Varian, you have no experience with dragons and you've been in _ONE_ battle!" she pointed out.

"The last time I checked, _you_ weren't all that experienced with dragons either!" he spat. "But there you go, ready to roll over and die because ol' Joey says so!" 

"I can't believe you're doing this out of jealousy!" she cried.

"I can't believe you'd willingly die for a man who'd dare to use you as BAIT! You're too important, Cassandra! That's why I volunteered!"

"I backed out of being bait, but that didn't mean I wanted you to step in!"

"Well TOO BAD!" he yelled, causing her to flinch. "Because that's what's going to happen!"

"So you're doing this wh-whether I want you to or not?"

He crossed his arms. "Wouldn't you?"

"FINE!" she cried. "I'll see you at the dragon battle." 

"Good day, milady." he dismissed her icily.

But it wasn't good. He saw her eyes fill with tears and instantly regretted every word he'd said. She had been right, every bit of his motivation for helping in this battle was selfish and mostly out of jealousy, but he couldn't stand the thought of losing her to Joseph's heroics. At least if he lost her this way, it truly would be the last thing he ever did. However, he wasn't going down without a fight. He gripped a green glowing vial of acid, the kind that would blind a person if thrown in their face. A blind dragon would be more dangerous, but at least the initial shock of it would buy them a little time until either Joseph or Cass could get in the final blow.

He thought about his Dad, and how he hadn't discussed any of this with him. He knew his Dad would feel betrayed, but then again, from what he had heard, his Dad had ran away from another Kingdom to ally with Corona! So who was he to judge? He would miss his Dad, but... if his Mother's belief was anything to go on, maybe he would rejoin her, wherever she was. It still wasn't much comfort though, he sort of wished he could talk to his Mother right about now, or at least someone who had more experience in the field of 'dying' than he did. Then he realized, he did know someone.

"H-Hey, Flynn...?" he asked a few moments later. 

"Hey kid." greeted Flynn, looking worried. 

"I have a question... just a quick one, really." assured Varian.

Flynn looked around. "What is it?"

"Well, I mean, it's really a hypothetical question since according to my plan everything is foolproof, so before I ask you, it's really out of curiosity--"

"Varian." he warned.

"Does dying... hurt?"

Flynn stared at him in horror.

"Kid, if this has anything to do with tomorrow, then don't do it! You just got exonerated, got your Dad back, sure there's trouble in paradise but that's no reason to go and get yourself eaten!"

Varian glared at him coldly. "Just tell me. Does it _hurt_ or not?"

"Does what hurt?" asked Lance.

Flynn threw his friend an imploring look.

"Varian here was just asking me a really _interesting_ hypothetical question." He put an arm around Varian's shoulder, which only worsened the glare. "He wants to know if dying hurts!"

Lance's jaw dropped. "What sort of question is that?! Of course it does!"

Varian blinked. "When did _you_ die?"

"I got bit by a kai spider! It was awful! Fever, chills, spots, a guy named Cecil in a hood carrying a sickle, it was horrible!"

"But did you _die_ from it?" asked Varian, unimpressed.

"Nah, my boy here got the cure for me in time." Lance patted Flynn on the back. "But I came close!"

"Then, I wasn't asking you." said Varian simply. "I was asking Flynn."

"My experience was different, kid." began Flynn. "It happened really fast, and I got stabbed. Bleeding out provides a level of shock that sort of... cushions the blow."

"Did it hurt or not?" the younger boy's voice had a dangerous edge to it now.

"It... did. A lot. Initially."

He saw a wave of fear in the youth's eyes before he turned away, glaring determinedly at the ground.

"That's all I needed to know."

Flynn watched sadly as Varian walked away. 

"Our little boy's all grown up." sniffled Lance.

It was Flynn's turn to glare at Lance.

"The grim reaper's name is Cecil, really?"

"Yeah, spoke with a french accent and everything."

"Why didn't I see him?"

"Maybe he's got a real tight schedule." shrugged Lance.

~*~*~*~

"Raps...?" asked Cassandra, later that evening.

"What is it, Cass?" asked Rapunzel.

"Hypothetically... would you be mad at me if I didn't go to the dragon battle tomorrow?"

Rapunzel pretended to consider the possibilities. "Let's see... leaving the safety of Corona in the hands of Sir Joseph while I keep my best friend safe and sound? It doesn't sound like too bad of a possibility." 

Cassandra smiled weakly. "It's... more than that."

Rapunzel blinked in bewilderment. "What happened?"

"I couldn't do it." admitted Cassandra. "H-He's going to go through with it anyway. It didn't matter how I felt."

"Did you tell him...?"

"I told him I didn't want him to! Isn't that enough?!" Cassandra was near tears.

"Other than that, did you tell him how you felt?"

"Why should I? It doesn't matter anyway!" Cassandra turned away. "Not now!"

"But that was the whole point of you trying to convince him not to fight, wasn't it?!" asked Rapunzel.

"His mind was made up! If you could go back in time, could you prevent Eugene from dying?"

"Completely different situation!" cried Rapunzel. "I didn't know she was actually going to stab him, but Cass, you know what the Dragon will do to Varian! Wouldn't it be worth saving him?!"

"I _tried_ , Raps!"

"But did you tell him how you feel?"

"No! If he's just going to die tomorrow then there's no point!"

Rapunzel shook her head. "Cass... there's no pride in love."

"And there's no point in loving someone who's technically already _dead_." growled Cass, storming away.

Rapunzel felt sorry for her friend, Cassandra might have been older, but it was obvious she had a lot to learn about love, she and Varian both really.


	11. Noble Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian attempts to prove a theory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This could've gone either way but... ;D Oh and this is the song Varian is singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGMnJ2JdJZY Obviously, Varian didn't make up or write this song at all, but let's say for the sake of the fic that he provided a translation of his own at the end. I'm not Alan Menken, folks, I can't write songs lol so I have to rely on others. XD; (Hey, it's still a disney property! Was used in The Three Caballeros! ;D)

"Are you _sure_ that's the way the song went?"asked Varian, wincing after a thunderous chorus of the siren song from Sir Joseph. For all his feats of strength, Joseph couldn't sing... at all.

"Positive." sighed Joseph.

"And _that_ is what made a dragon fall in love with you?" Varian still didn't get it. Why would a relatively intelligent creature such as a dragon fall for Sir Joseph? Especially conidering he couldn't even deliver the song in a pleasing manner!

"Honest!" cried Joseph.

"Wait, did the dragon fall in love with you before or after you picked up the opals?" It had suddenly it occurred to Varian, what if the dragon wasn't in love with Joseph after all but had a far more obvious motive?

Joseph blinked. "I only noticed it following me afterward."

" _I knew it_." muttered Varian under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." said Varian.

"Too bad I don't understand what its saying... it was a pretty catchy tune."

"Got it." said Varian, waving a piece of paper under his nose. "But I couldn't find a direct translation into our language--however, I found a pretty accurate spanish translation."

Joseph looked impressed. "You speak spanish?"

"Sure, it's not that far off latin." he shrugged.

Joseph looked thoughtful, "Why can't I battle this dragon while its in love with me? I mean, it's a dragon--"

" _Oh, so now you start using your brain._ " he thought bitterly. "Look, Joseph," he began aloud. "Its just a bad idea. Heartbroken dragons are dangerous creatures, this is one time when you don't want to be the bad guy. Trust me."

Joseph gave him a skeptical look. "But its a dragon."

"Ah-ah-ah, an _intelligent_ dragon." countered Varian. "They process things quite differently. Just trust me, you don't want to hurt this one's feelings."

Joseph rolled his eyes. "So, if I let you sing the song, it falls in love with _you_."

"Aaaaand I lead it out into the open where you can do your thing." assured Varian. "Foolproof, you get to slay the dragon _and_ not look like the bad guy."

"Who's not looking like a bad guy?" asked a voice. Cassandra had just walked up. Looking at her made Varian almost lose his nerve, but he quickly steeled himself.

Me and Vernon here--"

Varian." he corrected.

"Whoever. Gotta let the pipsqueak draw it out!"

Joseph didn't catch the glare Varian was giving him. Cassandra bit her lip, torn between laughing and crying.

"And, when the dragon comes out, we strike." said Joseph.

"Wait... what... how are we drawing it out?" asked Cassandra, rather ticked that she hadn't been included in that part of the plan.

"We decided to do it the same way I made the dragon follow me. He sings the siren song, and the dragon will come to him instead."

"You're counting on a DRAGON falling in love with him?!" she cried. "Joey, of all the hare-brained idiot schemes--"

"It was his idea." muttered Joseph.

"VARIAN!" she cried.

He shrugged and gave her a smug smile. "Worth a shot."

"Okay, you know what? Fine. But you're on first, Joseph. I... can't watch." Cass stalked off.

Varian felt bad but at that point there was nothing more he could do.

"Alright, Ver--"

" _VARIAN_!" he yelled.

"Just like we talked about."

"Hand over the opals first." pointed out Varian. "Or it's completely futile."

Reluctantly, Joseph handed over the box of opals he had collected.

"Now... Vamoose so I can sweet talk this dragon."

"Uh... Varian?" ventured Joseph.

"Yes?" he surppressed a glare.

"Good luck."

Varian gave a short laugh and sat down on a nearby rock. He started to strum the lute, he wished Cassandra hadn't walked off, but maybe his last act would help her in some small way. He closed his eyes and began to sing... 

~*~*~*~*~

Cassandra paced from her vantage point, she had told Varian she couldn't watch but that was just so she didn't break down and cry in front of him. She waited on him to begin whatever the siren song was, she was uncomfortable with just how long it was taking Joseph to get into position. Finally, she saw him walk off.

"Ugh he never did know how to do things quickly." she griped.

She watched Varian settle in on the lute and begin to play, she never knew he could play the lute... suddenly she realized just how much she didn't know about him, and this was possibly the last time she would ever see him, and they weren't speaking.

" _I'm not going to be okay after this_..." she thought, biting her lip. 

She watched as he sighed heavily, her breath caught in her throat as he began to sing...

" _Solamente una vez amé en la vida_  
_Solamente una vez y nada más_  
_Una vez nada más en mi huerto brilló la esperanza_  
_La esperanza que alumbra el camino de mi soledad_

 _Una vez nada más se entrega el alma_  
_Con la dulce y total renunciación_  
_Una vez nada más en mi huerto brilló la esperanza_  
_La esperanza que alumbra el camino de mi soledad_..."

She wasn't sure what he was saying, but it didn't matter... her heart melted. She realized just how much she had missed him and how much she was _going_ to miss him. Even though it was completely unbecoming of a Lord Commandress, she sank down behind a rock and began to cry. " _Goodbye, my wizard_..." she whispered. She didn't even notice when a large shadow fell over the side of the mountain.

~*~*~*~

Even though Varian didn't have an English translation, he made up his own to the last verse of the song.

" _T'was a moment like this, do you remember_  
_And your eyes threw a kiss when they met mine_  
_Now we own all the stars and a million guitars are still playing_  
_Darling, you are the song and you'll always belong to my heart_ "

"You sound a mite prettier than the other guy who tried to sing that." said a booming, thunderous voice.

Varian looked up and began to tremble. Blue gray scales and green, cat-like eyes... there it was, the big, eastern dragon standing there with its front legs crossed over its chest like a pair of arms.

"H-Hi..." he faltered.

"You're the bait, right? You certainly don't look like any knight I've ever seen." 

The beast was making fun of him, but Varian couldn't exactly blame it. He must've looked pretty pathetic, sitting there, strumming a lute, without a weapon.

"Y-You'd be right..." he chuckled. "But... you know we're willing to negotiate if you don't want to raze Corona to the ground." 

"Oh?" asked the dragon. "Give me what I want and I'll leave you and the rest of your pack of two-leggers to do as you please."

"What do you want?" asked Varian.

"A wise human, finally!" the dragon threw back its head and laughed. "Why, I want my little gems back."

"You mean these?" Varian held up a purple velvet bag filled with the fire opals Joseph had previously gifted the King.

The dragon came over and inspected the bag, sniffing it much the way a dog would. Varian bit his lip, trying not to let on just how scared he was. 

"Yes..." it plucked the bag from his hand and began to stroke it tenderly. "There, there, Mama's here."

"M-Mama...?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm Mama. You're just lucky Daddy didn't find out about their little trek around the globe. _I'm_ a civilized being, but he's not so much." the dragon sighed.

"So very fortunate indeed." he faltered, eager to get rid of the troublesome bundle. "So.. you weren't enchanted by Sir Joseph?"

The dragon laughed. "Heavens, no! The siren song won't work on me, honey." said the dragon, pinching his cheek. "But you were so sweet to sing to my babies."

With that, the dragon took the pouch in its mouth and flew away. Varian sat down in a heap, baffled... had he actually just talked down a _dragon_?

~*~*~*~

Cassandra's tears had quickly dried as she watched Varian _reason_ with a full-grown _Mother dragon_.

Not only had his theory been right, but he had saved the Kingdom a lot of casualties, he had also saved her life and the life of Sir Joseph as well. 

Speaking of Sir Joseph... 

"Did you see that?" he asked, completely dumbfounded.

"I did." said Cassandra calmly, a bit too calmly.

"I never seen anything like that in my entire life." Joseph literally scratched his head. "I mean.. it's a _dragon_."

"And you took its _babies_!" she scowled. 

"I didn't mean to!"

"You're lucky that dragon didn't kill you _outright_!" she accused, drawing her sword. "You risked ALL OF CORONA, _my_ life and the life of the man I love because you didn't bother to educate yourself on what dragon eggs _LOOKED_ like?!"

"C-Cassandra, honestly, I just didn't know! It was an honest mistake!" he cried. 

"I'm glad that dragon didn't finish you off." she growled. "Because that means I _will_!"

Sir Joseph did his best to beat back the blows of a very angry Cassandra.

"Cassandra! I-I didn't mean--AAAH! STOP! NOT THE FACE!"

Cassandra held her sword under his chin, "Oh I don't know, I think I could improve upon things."

~*~*~*~

" _AAAH! STOP! NOT THE FACE_!"

Varian heard the distressed cries of Sir Joseph from the next ridge, quickly he climbed up on a rock to see what was going on. He was shocked to see Cassandra attacking Sir Joseph with a sword. A grin slowly spread across his face. 

" _That's my girl_!" he thought, his heart bursting with pride. He watched the rest of the exchange with bated breath.

"W-Wait... answer me something..." panted Joseph. "Y-You and the noodle?"

"DON'T CALL HIM THAT!!!" she cried, taking another swing at his head, which Joseph barely dodged. "Do you realize what he risked for me?! For the entire kingdom?! Something that you, with all your knight training, couldn't even grow half a spine to DO!" her swings caused Sir Joseph's sword to go flying. 

"I'm sorry!" cried Joseph, backing up against a rock. 

"How dare you talk about him that way! I happen to love him! Do you have a problem with that, Joseph?!"

"N-No, not in particular, I just didn't think he was your type."

"What can I say? I like my men heroic." she deadpanned, walking away.

Varian couldn't believe what he was hearing--she loved him?! He could've squealed, but decided that was unbecoming of a hero. As she passed beneath the rock, he jumped down, causing her to flinch a bit.

"Greetings, my love." he bowed with a flourish, but Cassandra passed right on by him. 

Varian looked up, bewildered. Her back was to him, and he noticed she was rubbing her arm uncomfortably. 

He approached her cautiously. It was then that he heard a pitiful sniffle.

"Cassie?"

"You _scared_ me!" she growled.

"You scared _me_!" he shot back defensively. "You were lucky this dragon could be reasoned with! I--"

But his voice died in his throat upon seeing just how distraught she was.

"I'm sorry, Cassie." he said humbly.

In a move totally uncharacteristic of her, Cassandra threw her arms around his neck, hugging him, sobbing into his chest. He hadn't prepared himself for how much she was trembling.

"I'm alright, Cassandra." he assured her.

"DON'T DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!"

"I had to do something, you wouldn't back down!" he cried. "Besides, I thought... you didn't want me anymore."

Varian realized just how lame his excuse sounded, especially when Cassandra hadn't actually said as much.

"Are you kidding, you're the only one I want!"

"R-Really?"

"I never thought of Joseph the same way I think of you..." she leaned forward, whispering " _My Wizard_." in his ear, causing him to grin.

"Uh, Cassandra?" called Joseph. "We need to go give our report to the King."

Cassandra groaned.

"There's a smoke bomb in my left back pocket." said Varian under his breath. "It'd look like an accident, really."

Cassandra giggled and swatted him, then walked over to Joseph.

"Joey... you go give the report to the King. Tell him I have some business to finish up with... the royal alchemist."

Joseph sighed and rolled his eyes before mounting his horse and trotting away.

"The Royal Alchemist, eh?" Varian nudged her.

"It was something Raps was considering.. since you did save my life, after all." she glanced up at him. "Now, more than once."

"I... must admit.. this last time my reasons behind it were entirely selfish, and--"

She laced her fingers in the ties of his shirt, kissing him. "They were still noble."

Varian melted.


	12. Everything is coming up roses <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra finally makes it official. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING WITH ME ON THIS WILD EMOTIONAL RIDE! I am actually planning a 3rd story in the works, but I just don't know when it'll be out yet. <3 HERE IS THE FLUFF YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

It was quite awhile later, the two were snuggled together.

"How did you know the fire opals were dragon eggs?"

"Reading. That, and my Grandpa told me about them."

"He'd seen them?"

"Lots of times on the spice road." 

"I'm sorry Joseph insulted him." said Cassandra sadly. 

"My family's kind of used to it." he shrugged. "But if he'd been around, he might have challenged him to a duel." chuckled Varian.

"Is that where you get it from?"

Varian shrugged. "Maybe. Mom said I got my common sense from my Dad."

"Awww, there was a time when you had common sense?"

"Hey..." he growled playfully.

Cassandra giggled, kissing his cheek.

"So, how did you come up with the idea to use the siren song on the dragon?" she asked.

"Because Joseph kept crowing about it." he snorted. "It doesn't _work_ that way." he muttered. "Dragons mate for life, so I doubted one with a clutch of eggs would fall head over heels for a _human_!"

"Yeah, that did sound odd..." suddenly she turned to Varian. "So wait, he taught it to you and it didn't work?"

Varian grinned. "Siren songs only work when a mermaid sings them, and have you _heard_ Joseph sing?"

"Yes." Cassandra giggled. "Many times, thanks to battlefield rum." 

"You poor thing." he shuddered. "Though, I'm not entirely sure it didn't work on _you_." he joked, kissing her forehead.

She played with the ties on his shirt, laying her head on his shoulder. "I missed you." she said softly.

"I missed you too, Cassie."

They gazed into each other's eyes before engulfing each other in a kiss. She swung her leg over his lap, he placed his hand on the small of her back, pulling her to him, deepening their kiss, finally able to satisfy that ache within their hearts. 

It felt so good to be able to get lost in each other again, to whisper sweet nothings that only they understood.

" _Ahem_." said a voice behind them. "When you two are finished scaring the wildlife, the King would like to see you. Specifically you, kid." said Eugene.

"EUGENE!" Rapunzel was heard to cry. "I TOLD YOU IT WAS A BAD IDEA! I told him it was a bad idea to come looking for you guys." apologized Rapunzel.

Reluctantly they got up, as Varian passed by Eugene he muttered darkly under his breath. "I'm going to _remember_ this."

~*~*~*~

Cassandra looked worriedly at Varian. He seemed nervous.

"What did I do _this_ time, I wonder?" he snorted.

"If it's any consolation, I don't think you did anything wrong." said Cassandra.

They spotted Joseph sitting fornlornly in the throne room.

"Joseph wouldn't throw me to the wolves, would he?" asked Varian. 

"N-No... not to my knowledge." Cassandra answered.

"Lord Commandress!" the King thundered. "Come forward!"

Cassandra squeezed Varian's hand before stepping forward. "Yes, your Majesty?"

Varian admired her ability to talk to the King without stuttering. Frederic could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be.

"Joseph was telling me about today's events, what exactly happened at this dragon battle?"

"It... wasn't much of a battle to be honest, your Majesty." said Cassandra. "Varian calmed the beast, gave it back its treasure, and it went away."

"And he did it all without a sword?"

"A lute, to be precise." said Cassandra, biting her lip.

"I see. Varian, come forward."

Varian stepped forward.

"Yes, your Majesty?" he hadn't meant for his voice to go up that high in pitch at the end.

"What did you do to make the dragon leave Corona?"

"I gave it back its treasure of fire opals... which weren't fire opals at all, they were dragon eggs."

Frederic's eyes widened, then he glared at Joseph. "Of all the dragons you've slain and you didn't know what the eggs LOOKED LIKE?!"

Joseph shook his head sadly.

"This dragon was intelligent, it was an eastern dragon. They can be reasoned with. I... thought it would be better than a battle involving the entire Coronian Guard and possibly the civillians of Corona."

Frederic stroked his chin thoughtfully. "And what if the plan hadn't worked."

Varian held up a green vial. "Acid, to throw at the dragon in case it went berserk."

Frederic looked nervous. "You may put that away."

Varian put the vial back in his bag, shrugging. "I'm not good with a sword... it was only going to be a distraction until Joseph or Cassie--err--The Lord Commandress could get in the final blow."

Cassandra blushed. " _Well at least that saves me the trouble of telling everyone_."

"Since you have proven yourself in service to Corona more than once, saved our Lord Commandress twice, and now our citizens from certain, fiery death, I now pronounce you the Royal Alchemist."

Varian's jaw dropped.

"As for you, Sir Joseph, you have proven yourself a danger to Corona. Our guard will escort you and your armies back to the Westerland border... and tell your King that our croquet match is officially _off_."

"Yes, your Majesty..." sighed Joseph unhappily.

The King pinned a medal onto Varian's collar, he stood there numbly. "Th-Thank you... your Majesty..."

As Joseph slunk off, Cassandra rushed over to him and threw her arms around him.

"I'm glad you're mine." she whispered, kissing him proudly, for once not caring who saw.


End file.
